The Krivaja ( sr-cyrl, Криваја) is a
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of ...
in central-northern parts of
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and ...
, and a right tributary of the
Bosna River. Its source is confluence of the
Stupčanica and the
Bioštica rivers at the western outskirts of town of
Olovo
Olovo ( sr-cyrl, Олово) is a town and municipality located in the Zenica-Doboj Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated about 50 kilometers northeast of the capital city of S ...
. From there the Krivaja flows through the scenic gorge between mountains of
Zvijezda and
Konjuh (mountain), with lot of small mountain streams and small rivers inflow from both sides. Finally, the Krivaja meets the
Bosna River at the vicinity of town of
Zavidovići.
The river is well known for
rafting
Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...
,
canoeing
Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. Common meanings of the term are limited to when the canoeing is the central purpose of the activity. Broader meanings include when it is combined with other act ...
and freshwater
fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from fish stocking, stocked bodies of water such as fish pond, ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. ...
. The Krivaja basin is known for an abundant ichthyo-fauna, rich in species, some of which are critically endangered, such as
hucho
''Hucho'' is a genus of large piscivorous salmonid fish known as taimens (from Finnish through Russian ), and is closely related to Pacific trout and lenoks (all belonging to the same tribe in the subfamily Salmoninae). Native to the cold ...
(also known as ''Danube Salmon'' or ''Danube Taimen'') (Lat. ''Hucho hucho''). All the Krivaja tributaries and especially its headwaters are important spawning grounds for both Danube Taimen and its prey,
Common nase
The common nase (''Chondrostoma nasus'') is a European potamodromous cyprinid fish. It is often simply called the nase, but that can refer to any species of its genus '' Chondrostoma''. Another name is sneep.
Distribution
The nase is found natu ...
(''Chondrostoma nasus'') and
Grayling (''Thymallus thymallus'').
The Kaljina, its
parent the
Bioštica, and the
Stupčanica are main source of the Krivaja waters, and all three are unspoiled in sense of water quality, their
hydromorphology, natural surrounding and river biodiversity.
Rich pool of indigenous
salmonids such as Danube
brown trout
The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a European species of salmonid fish that has been widely introduced into suitable environments globally. It includes purely freshwater populations, referred to as the riverine ecotype, ''Salmo trutta'' morp ...
(''Salo truta fario'', Danube lineage), spawning grounds for hucho and nase, can only be maintained through statutory protection, and preservation of the Krivaja basin streams and rivers uninterrupted flows from construction of
dams
A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...
. However, plans for
hydropower
Hydropower (from el, ὕδωρ, "water"), also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by converting the gravitational potential or kinetic energy of ...
development exist, and represent real risk for the unspoiled natural environment of the region.
References
Further reading
*
External links
bistrobih.ba - rijeka Krivajaoutdooractive.com - Bosnia and Herzegovina - Krivaja canyon
Rivers of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Zavidovići
Olovo Municipality
Vareš Municipality
Rafting in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Recreational fishing in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Water sports in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Hucho habitats in Bosnia and Herzegovina
{{BosniaHerzegovina-river-stub